Washington, July 10 (RHC)-- U.S. government lawyers are in New Orleans on Friday in hopes of convincing a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals to reverse a preliminary injunction on immigration.

At issue is the implementation of the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents and the expansion of the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that permits teenagers and young adults who were born outside of the United States, but raised in the country, to apply for protection and deportation and for employment authorizations.

The appeals court could take weeks or months to issue an opinion. Advocates for immigration reform are watching the clock, because if the issue does make its way to the Supreme Court, papers would likely have to be filed by mid-winter for the justices to hear the issue next term.